The Vampire Mountain Lion
by TopazGirl96
Summary: Edward receives a phone call from Bella while he is hunting, and leaves, forgetting that he left a mountain lion bitten without drinking its blood. It turns into a vampire, and now it's after Bella. Can Edward destroy the monster he created? Post NM. ExB.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an idea I've been toying with in my head for a long time. Now that I've finally figured out some details, I'm ready to write! I hope you enjoy! **

Edward's Point of View

I ran through the dark forest at lightning fast speed. Raindrops dripped down through the thick canopy of leaves and showered me occasionally, but they quickly dried due to the harsh wind.

I was on a brief, solo hunting trip. Bella was working at the Newton's store, Alice was shopping with Jasper, Carlisle and Esme were visiting the Denali's in Alaska, and Emmett and Rosalie—_ugh._ I didn't even want to think what _they _were doing. Hunting was the only thing for me to do while Bella was working her shift, and I figured I could hunt now instead of hunt later during time that could be spent with Bella. I still had an hour before I could go pick her up.

Soon, I picked up the scent of a mountain lion. My thoughts drifted away as my senses and instinct took over. I chased the lion down within half a minute and pounced on it. It writhed and wiggled under me, but I was easily pinning it down. I bit into its neck, and drank a few mouthfuls of blood when my phone rang, interrupting me. I took my teeth out of the lion's neck and reached for my phone in my back pocket. Repositioning myself to hold the lion down with one hand, I flipped open the phone without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I couldn't help but let a little venom seep into my voice at whoever was interrupting my hunt.

"Oh, sorry, is this a bad time?" My angel's voice drifted through the speaker, immediately relaxing me.

"No, not at all," I lied lightly.

"Okay, well, my shift ended early. There weren't many customers today."

"I'll be right there," I promised. "I love you."

"Love you too."

I shut the phone and sprang to my feet, forgetting about everything except that I was going to see my Bella. I sped through the forest quickly, not wanting to keep her waiting.

Mountain Lion Point of View

I roared in pain. I writhed in the fiery torture, willing with all my heart for it to end. Unfortunately, the movement only made the pain worse. It felt like I was in a bath of boiling water, and I was getting stabbed with a thousand knives, and acid was eating my insides, all at the same time. How did this happen?

All I remembered was that I was looking for something to eat when this man just came out of _nowhere_. He pounced on me, and I tried to get free, but he was so strong. I didn't understand how anybody, or anything, could be as strong as he was. And he was so _cold_.It felt like an iceberg was on me. Then he did something unexpected. He bit me in my neck, and started sucking out my blood! It was extremely painful, and I wished he would just kill me already. But suddenly, he stopped. I was ecstatic; maybe he would let me go now! He took something out of his pocket and started talking to someone. But I didn't hear his words, because now a new pain had appeared, a hundred times more intense than the other one. It started at my neck and slowly traveled to the rest of my body, intensifying as it went. I was vaguely aware of the man getting off me and running away just as quickly as he had come. Wait—where was he going? Why couldn't he just kill me?

After what seemed like ten eternities, the pain gradually stopped. First, it drifted out of my feet, then my legs, then my head. The pain seemed to be migrating—it was moving out of my limbs and into my chest. Soon, the only place that was still burning was my heart. It gave a few desperate last pumps and then stopped, and immediately the pain was gone. I opened my eyes and was taken aback by the sight. The leaves had never looked so green, the ground more brown, the sky so… grey. And everything was so much more detailed than it used to be. I could see the little veins in the leaves from a hundred feet away. I could see every little insect moving on every tree. I could practically see the wind.

I stretched my limbs, expecting them to be sore from lying down for so long, but they felt stronger than they ever had before. I rose to my feet, which took absolutely no effort at all, and looked around me once more. I didn't know what the man did to me, but I knew that I was no longer an average mountain lion.

Suddenly, I was aware of a burning sensation in my throat. It was like a remnant of the fire, but less intensified. Still, it hurt enough to make me uncomfortable. How did I make it go away? Just then, I heard rustling, and faint footsteps. Without thinking, I turned in the direction of the noise and began running until I caught the scent. I recognized the scent as a deer's scent, and it wasn't particularly appetizing, but it was better than nothing. So I followed it, and soon came upon the unlucky deer, which was slowly chewing some leaves. I pounced on it, and bit into its neck, just like the man had done to me. But unlike the man, I drank all of the creature's blood, and when I was done, it was dead.

I could still feel the pain in my throat. Drinking the deer's blood had done little to water the fire down. I decided to find something more appetizing. I sniffed the air, but could smell nothing other than the damp earth and unappetizing smell of squirrels scurrying along the trees. I decided to find something to eat outside of the forest. I went back the way I had come, and eventually picked up the man's scent. I didn't know the way out of the forest myself, so I decided to see where the man went. I followed the scent for about 30 miles, and then I saw light through the trees ahead. I picked up my pace, and in a few seconds I was out in the open for the first time in my life.

I sniffed the air once more, and found that there were plenty new smells in the air. Most were unappetizing, but then a wind blew from the west, carrying with it the most delicious scent I had ever smelled. The pain in my throat intensified as I greedily took the scent in. I turned in the direction the scent had come from and raced to the source as fast as I could. I eventually reached a small house, with the delicious scent, and, ironically, the man's scent all over it. I leapt nimbly up on a windowsill and looked through the window. And there sat the source of the delicious scent. Her head was bent down, and it seemed she was concentrating on something very hard. My mouth pooled with liquid that I instinctively knew was my venom. I let out a low growl of anticipation.

And then she raised her head and saw me.

**A/N: Haha I think we all know who this person is. **

**Tell me what you think! The next chapter will be up soon, hopefully as soon as tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry my update is a day late! **

**Anyway, madnessdownunder2 pointed out that the mountain lion should crave mountain lion blood, and I suppose that is a good point. However, I thought of it this way: the venom worked the same way on the mountain lion as with the other vampires, and therefore the same characteristics were transmitted as well. Normal vampires take the shape of humans so they can attract their prey. It's an adaptation. All vampires naturally crave human blood. Therefore, he would crave human blood just like any other vampire.**

**So, with that being said, enjoy the chapter!**

Bella's Point of View

I sighed as Edward gave me a quick goodbye kiss.

"I'll be back when Charlie's snoring," he promised, his golden eyes blazing. Then he jumped out the window, and was gone.

Downstairs, the front door opened and I heard Charlie's heavy boots clomping on the floor. "You home, Bells?" he called. "Yeah," I called back, trying to keep the desolation out of my voice. I missed Edward already.

Trying to pass the time, I pulled out my battered copy of _Wuthering Heights_. The familiar, worn pages of the book comforted me. I accidentally tore a page while I was turning it, but that happened almost every time I read the book now. I squinted to read a sentence that was covered by a crusty, brown stain.

Just then, I heard a low, feral growl. I whipped my head up, terrified that it was Victoria. But the sight that greeted me was as unexpected as it was unusual.

There, nimbly perched on my windowsill, was a mountain lion.

Its eyes were a bright, menacing red. It had rippling muscles under its short brown coat. Its fangs were sparkling white, pointed, and, at the moment, bared at me. It only took me a second to realize this was no ordinary mountain lion.

I sprang from my bed, knocking over _Wuthering Heights_, and grabbed my phone from my nightstand, my hands shaking. I quickly backed out of my room, and I tiptoed to the bathroom, dialing Edward's number as I went. He picked up after two rings.

"Bella, love. Is something wrong?" Normally this assumption would have made me frustrated, but this time he got it right.

"Sort of," I said quietly, closing the bathroom door behind me. Normally I would have hesitated in telling him if something was wrong, but every second I waited was a second Charlie's life was in danger.

"There's… there's a mountain lion outside my window."

"A _what?_" I could hear the slamming of his car door and the engine as it revved to life. "I'll be there in a minute, love. Don't worry, it won't hurt you." He tried to make his voice soothing, but I could tell he was troubled.

"Well, it… it doesn't exactly look normal."

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the house. I resisted the urge to tell Edward to hurry up; I knew he was going as fast as he could. _Please stay downstairs, Charlie,_ I prayed. _Please don't come up here. _I could hear quick, light footsteps padding across the hall towards me. I backed up as far from the door as possible.

"I'm almost here." Edward's voice coming through the phone I had completely forgotten I was still holding to my ear startled me. Just then, there was a loud crash, and the door splintered to pieces. The mountain lion stalked through the doorway, his eyes locked on me. I froze, and the phone slipped from my fingers. The lion crouched down, bowing his head to the floor, his tail whipping the air. I saw him pounce, and then a white figure flashed before my eyes, and then everything went black.

Edward's Point of View

"Well, it… it doesn't exactly look normal." It doesn't look _normal?_

"What do you mean?"

She didn't respond, for just then I heard something shattering. My stomach plummeted to my feet. Did the lion just break through her window? I pushed the pedal down harder, even though it was already on the floor. I passed the high school; I was almost there now. If it was able to, my heart would have been pounding. I glanced at the speedometer. I was going 135 miles per hour. Not nearly fast enough. And then the worst thing happened: my car started slowing down, the engine making ominous clacking noises. _Crap! _I had blown out my engine. Without hesitation, I pushed the door opened and abandoned the car in the middle of the road.

"I'm almost here," I said into the phone. Another noise sounded, this one sounding like the splintering of wood. I heard a dull _thud_, and then the line went dead. Thankfully, I had finally reached Bella's house. I leapt through her window and raced to the bathroom. I reached it just in time to pounce on the lion as it sprang at Bella. I pinned it to the ground and looked into its blood red eyes. It didn't feel warm, like it should have. Bella was right; this really wasn't any normal mountain lion. My thoughts were confirmed as the lion, almost easily, pushed me off of him with his enormous paw. I scrambled to get a hold on him as he once again sprang at Bella. I reached out just in time to grab his left hind leg, and he spun around, baring his teeth menacingly. I growled in response. Then, almost too fast for even me to see, he darted out of the bathroom. I heard him leap from the window and dash into the forest behind Bella's house.

_What on earth is going on up there? _Charlie thought from downstairs. He was contemplating whether to go upstairs to see for himself.

"Wha … Ed … Edward?" Bella mumbled, stirring slightly.

"Bella, love," I murmured, taking her in my arms, forgetting about Charlie for the moment. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… fine," she said hoarsely. Her eyes fluttered open. "How 'bout you? Is he gone?"

I frowned, remembering how quickly he had escaped. "Yes, I'm fine and yes, he's gone… for now."

"Bells? Everything okay up there?" Charlie called.

"Yeah, Dad. Everything's fine." Bella answered. I wondered how she was going to explain her shattered window and the splintered door to him.

"Are you sure? I thought I heard some crashing… and growling."

And then he started up the steps.

**Well, not a very long chapter, but this story probably isn't going to be terribly long. I'll update soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everybody! I really wish that I'd updated sooner, but I've had writer's block. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

Edward's Point of View

"It was just so fast, Carlisle, way faster than me, and so _strong._ It was just as strong as, if not stronger, than Emmett when he was a newborn." I pinched the bridge of my nose in my fingers and exhaled in frustration.

I was telling Carlisle about the strange encounter with the mountain lion. Back at Bella's house, when Charlie started up the stairs, I'd grabbed Bella and raced out of the house. I knew that she wouldn't be able to come up with an excuse for him, and even if she had, her poor lying skills would have never convinced Charlie of anything.

Carlisle wrinkled his brow in concern. "You see, I have a theory about that." He spoke in a troubled voice. "Mountain lions are naturally both stronger and faster than humans, so it's only natural that an immortal mountain lion would be stronger than an immortal human." I nodded, knowing he was right; he always was. "But what do we do about it?" I asked. "We can't let him run around, killing humans, especially B—" I couldn't finish that thought. I began pacing.

Carlisle watched me with concerned eyes. _Don't worry, Edward,_ he thought. A slight smile touched his lips. _He'll be no match against all of us._

I forced myself to stop pacing and take a deep breath. "I guess so," I muttered half-heartedly, still dubious. Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder. "Stop worrying, Edward," he said softly. _We'll go after him tonight. You, me, Jasper and Emmett._ He smiled gently. _He'll be no match for us, _he repeated.

That night, at around 11:30, we were ready to go. "Please be safe," Bella murmured, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face in my chest.

"Don't worry, love, I'll be fine," I reassured her, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her back. "I'm more worried about _you._" Bella rolled her eyes. "I'll be with Alice the whole time," she muttered, scowling.

"Oh, I know," I said, chuckling. "Just try not to trip on anything," I added, slightly more seriously. She rolled her eyes again, and I briefly pressed my lips softly to hers before Emmett grabbed my shirt and tugged me out the door. "I swear, you two spend more time saying goodbye to each other than you spend _actually apart_," Emmett grumbled.

We ran through the forest to Bella's house, and then we picked up and followed the mountain lion's scent. It went back in the forest a ways, and then abruptly turned left. We crossed a small creek and then followed the scent back out of the woods and to a house. The scent ended at a broken window. "Uh-oh," Jasper muttered. We circled the house until we found another broken window, where the scent resumed again. We followed it back into the woods, until it became very potent, and I could tell he was nearby.

"Jasper, Emmett," Carlisle whispered. "Circle around a couple miles until you're about a mile away from him. We'll ambush him, and if he starts fighting us, then come and help us. If he tries to run instead, then we'll run him in your direction, and we'll try to surround him." Emmett and Jasper nodded and took off to the east. Carlisle and I waited fifteen minutes, and then we started following the scent, which grew more and more potent with each step. We found him lying on a flat rock, licking his bloody paws clean. He didn't notice us until we were about a hundred feet away from him. Carlisle and I were moving slowly and stealthily. However, the moment he spotted us, he bolted. I wasted no time in chasing after him. Thankfully, he was running in the direction where Jasper and Emmett were waiting to ambush him. He was much faster than me, but I managed to stay close enough to keep him in sight. When he reached the spot where Jasper and Emmett were hiding, they sprang at him and wrestled him to the ground.

_Gah! Hurry up, Edward! _Emmett screamed in his thoughts. _He's so strong!_

And I was almost there, just a few strides away when the mountain lion managed to shake Jasper and Emmett off, and then he darted away. It was useless to try and chase him. _DAMN IT! _Emmett thought, kicking a tree with all his might. The trunk splintered immediately, and let out a groan as the heavy tree crashed to the ground. Jasper did his best to send out calming waves, but he was feeling pretty distressed himself. Carlisle caught up to us then, gasping for unnecessary breath. He shook his head slowly. "We can always try another time." His voice was weak and tired. "There's no use chasing him… let's go home."

Charlie's Point of View

"Has she been missing for 24 hours?" Sheriff Young asked, tapping his pencil impatiently against his notepad.

"Well… well, no," I stuttered.

Sheriff Young sighed. "You know the rules, Swan," he stated gruffly. "A person isn't missing until he's been gone for 24 hours." I couldn't speak, just nodded. "How long has she been gone?" he asked. "Um… well, it's been about six hours now…" I muttered sheepishly. Sheriff Young sighed. "Look," he said, placing a rough hand on my shoulder, "I know you're worried about your daughter. But rules are rules." He removed his hand. "Besides, we have more important things to tend to. A man was murdered in his house tonight. Looks like an animal attack. Sorry, Swan, I'm not saying that your daughter's not important. You can fill out a missing person report in 18 hours." He tugged his black coat on and turned away. "Let's clear out, boys." The other two policemen there, Officers Smith and Freeman, gave me sympathetic glances and then left.

I sat down on the couch, distressed. First I hear lots of banging and shattering upstairs, I ask my daughter if she's alright, she says yes, then I go up there and she's gone, her window shattered and the bathroom door completely splintered. I searched around town for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. I wanted to check at the Cullen's house, but I couldn't remember where it was. So, when I got home, I'd called the police, forgetting for the moment that I was a policeman myself.

Tears pooled in my eyes and I blinked them away the best I could. Why did my daughter have a habit of disappearing on me?

**Well, not the longest update, but at least I got it done. I'll get the next one up soon as I can.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: As some of you may have noticed, I have changed my pen name. It is now TopazGirl96. Enjoy the chapter!**

Bella's Point of View

Why did they choose to paint these walls white?

I was lying on my side on Edward's massive bed, staring at the blank, white walls. Time crawled along slowly these days. I sighed, and turned onto my stomach. After the third day of doing nothing but lying around, staring at walls, and having the occasional meal, you get a little crazy.

After Edward, Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper left that night about a week ago, they were hardly ever home anymore. When they weren't tracking the mountain lion, they were protecting the civilians from its attacks. Thank goodness the lion stayed in the general area, so the guys were able to come home and rest every once in a while.

After the first two days, I asked Edward if I could go home, just to show Charlie I was alive and well. But he refused, saying it was 'unsafe.'

Alice and Esme were determined to have a good time while the guys were out. They dragged me to the mall three days ago, but after I saw all the 'Have You Seen this Girl' flyers taped in every store, with my school picture at the top, I demanded to be taken home. I didn't want to dwell on the fact that Charlie probably thought I was dead right now. I'd been staring at walls ever since.

Suddenly, I heard the front door open, and I shot up off the bed. The next thing I knew, I was engulfed by a pair of stony arms. I sighed in relief and snuggled into Edward's chest. No matter how many times he told me not to worry about him, I couldn't help it. How could you just not be worried when the love of your life goes off to hunt an immortal mountain lion every day?

Later that day, we were all sitting in the living room, watching _The Fugitive. _I cringed during the murder scenes, and Emmett laughed at me, while Jasper tried not to smile. Edward held me tighter as he glared at his brothers, and Rosalie rolled her eyes at us. In that moment, it felt like everything was back to normal, that this terrible mess never happened. Until we heard three sharp raps on the front door.

Alice paused the movie while Carlisle got up to answer the door. He opened it, and we all heard his sharp gasp. "Aro, how nice to see you again..." he muttered, uncertainty in his voice. Aro? We all scrambled to our feet. Edward kept his left arm firmly around my waist and positioned himself in front of me. "And Marcus, you look well…" Carlisle continued. He was cut off by Aro's booming voice, regal and full of authority. "Enough with these petty greetings!" he crowed. He stepped into the house and gathered Carlisle into a brief hug. Carlisle seemed to relax a bit, and I sensed that Jasper was using his power. I peeked around Edward's shoulder to see Marcus and Caius standing behind Aro, scowls on their faces, but their postures relaxed.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Carlisle asked smoothly.

Aro's face, which formerly had a wide grin plastered on it, fell. His tone darkened. "We're here because of some… suspicious activity." He seemed to be struggling for words. Carlisle raised an eyebrow, and Caius crossed his arms, the atmosphere suddenly tense. He spoke up for the first time. "We received a report from a small nomad clan of an immortal mountain lion just outside of Olympia," he began, his deep voice reverberating around the room. He narrowed his eyes at Carlisle. "The only way this could have happened is if any of _you_," he spat, accusingly, "Left an animal bitten and undrained." He paused, and the room was filled with tension so thick, I could feel it pressing on my back. I buried my head into Edward's neck, and he wrapped his other arm around me. "Of course, the Denali clan could have been responsible for this, but since the lion is in this area, you were the prime suspects," he added scornfully.

A long silence followed, and it seemed like Caius was waiting for a response. Aro's face was blank, and Marcus looked impatient. Finally, Carlisle broke the silence. "Yes, well," he muttered, and cleared his throat. He clasped his hands together nervously. "We are responsible for this, unfortunately." Edward tightened his arms around me minutely. Aro's face hardened, and Marcus's scowl grew more pronounced. "Look," Aro said. "I hate to get on my friend's back, but rules are rules. First you tell a human—"he threw a glance my way – "our secret, and now you get careless and create an immortal mountain lion." His face grew slightly softer. "But since you are an old friend, I'll let you off easy." He glanced at me again. "I want you to change Bella before the end of the year. I was going to wait a few decades to check on her, but—"he shrugged—"you need to be more careful from now on, and this is your punishment." He turned to go. "Let's go home. I miss my Sulpicia." They headed out the door.

"Wait!" Carlisle called after them. "Won't you help us kill the mountain lion? It should be easy with Jane's power."

"No, sorry," I heard Aro say. "That is your other punishment." He laughed bitterly. "But, you know what would be a good tool to help you take down this mountain lion?"

"What?" Carlisle asked eagerly.

"A newborn vampire," Aro responded. And then I heard an engine start up, and they were gone.

**Gah, another short chapter. Sorry! :(**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I tried to make this chapter longer, since all of my updates recently have been short. So, I hope you enjoy the longest chapter yet!**

BPOV

Edward was upset, to say the least.

I hadn't seen him this angry since James almost killed me in the ballet studio.

He stood as still as a statue, not breathing, or moving in any way. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his side; he stood ramrod straight. His posture was defensive, even though Aro and company were gone. Only his blazing eyes showed any emotion, which was anger. You could practically feel the waves of anger he projected. They were so tangible I had to take a step back from him.

And then a slight breeze fluttered my hair around me, and at the same time I heard the front door slam shut. Edward was gone.

The rest of his family was quiet. Carlisle and Alice kept stealing glances at me every now and then; Jasper looked like he was deep in thought; Rosalie stood with her arms crossed. Only Emmett looked unfazed; he had his arms around Rosalie's waist, a smile stretched across his wide face, and his eyes were bright and excited.

Eventually, everyone dispersed from the living room. Jasper took Alice hunting, while Rosalie went to the garage, Emmett at her heels. Carlisle and Esme went into the kitchen. I could hear them talking in hushed voices. I decided to use the chance to go see Charlie before Edward came back. I slipped as quietly as I could out the front door, and crept out to my truck. Unfortunately, Emmett appeared in front of me in a flash. He leaned against the door of my truck with his arms crossed. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked in a faux threatening voice.

"I'm going to find Edward," I lied swiftly. Emmett raised an eyebrow, but thankfully stepped out of my way. "Good luck then," he said. "When Eddie's mad, you never know where he goes." He chuckled to himself, then turned and headed back to the garage. I sighed in relief. Thank goodness it was the densest Cullen who was sent to interrogate me. I started my truck, and it roared to life. I was worried someone else would come and stop me, but I knew the others heard me and Emmett's conversation. I guess I lied convincingly, for once in my life.

However, it seemed like my luck had ran out for the day, for it started pouring the second I turned from the Cullen's long driveway onto the road. I could barely see a thing, but I kept going. I wanted to see Charlie and let him know I was alright before Alice had a vision and came to stop me. I prayed that she was thoroughly distracted with hunting right now.

I crossed the bridge, and was about to round a sharp turn, when headlights suddenly washed over me. Whoever was driving the car was on the wrong side of the road, and we were about to collide head-on. Reflexively, I yanked the wheel to the right to avoid hitting the car, and I veered off the road. The other car whizzed by me, barely missing me. But my relief was short-lived, because the truck started rolling down a very steep hill. I slammed on the brakes to stop it, but the tires couldn't get a grip on the slippery mud. I finally came to a stop when the front of the truck slammed into a tree. The woods stretched out endlessly in front of me. I knew there was no way I could drive my truck up the hill, so I unwillingly climbed out of the cab into the pouring rain. I pulled my hood over my head, and started trudging up the hill.

But, being my clumsy self, I slipped. Water was washing down the hill in currents, making it nearly impossible to get to the top. I slid down the little distance I had managed to climb back to my truck. It would be useless to try and climb the hill again, so I opened the door and climbed into the relatively dry cab. I fumbled in my pocket for my cell phone, but couldn't find it. I realized I had left it at the Cullen house.

Great. I was officially stuck. I hoped Alice would come find me soon.

Just then, something crashed into the side of the truck, and it was tipped onto its side. "Alice?" I called tentatively. My heart pounded in my chest. I knew Alice wouldn't tip my truck over, but what else was strong enough to do that? My musings were interrupted as the windshield shattered, and a yellow blur pulled me out into the mud. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew one thing for sure: I was being attacked. I rolled over onto my stomach as my attacker clawed at my back and arm. Presently, I felt a piercing pain just above my elbow, and then I felt something hard and cold digging into the wound.

I rolled over onto my side as a fire started in my arm. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a pair of large, round, blood-red eyes.

APOV

I couldn't ignore the selfish side of me that was glad that Bella would become one of us, and soon. I was worried Edward would never change her, but now he had no choice. Still, I was concerned for Edward; I could see he was really upset.

Jasper went hunting, mostly because he couldn't handle all of the family's emotions, and I went with him. We ran hand in hand through the woods. I felt a vision coming, but I pushed it away. It had been so long since Jasper and I have gotten to spend some quality time together, and I didn't want to ruin it. Besides, the vision was probably just of Edward running like a maniac through the woods, like I knew he was doing right now.

Jasper and I headed south, towards Oregon, but we didn't go far. We found a herd of elk soon enough; they weren't preferred prey, but they were better than nothing. I was drinking from one of the largest elk in the herd when a vision came that I couldn't ignore. I saw Bella lying in the woods, unconscious, while the mountain lion lapped at her blood, coming from a bite in her arm. I quickly finished off the elk and found Jasper. I told him about my vision, and then we took off together. I could feel waves of urgency and panic rolling off of Jasper, which made us run faster. I couldn't tell much from my vision of where Bella was, but thankfully I picked up her scent when we were just outside of town. I could also smell the mountain lion, and I knew we were too late to prevent my vision from happening. I ran even faster.

And then, Jasper and I finally arrived at the scene. Bella's truck was flipped on its side, its windshield shattered. Broken glass littered the forest floor. But of more importance was the mountain lion that was attacking Bella. Jasper and I jumped on him, catching him by surprise. He must have been really engrossed in drinking Bella's blood. The thought disgusted me.

He was obviously stronger than Jasper and I, but Jasper managed to sink his teeth into his shoulder, and his front leg separated from his body. Now the mountain lion sensed that he was at a disadvantage, and he shook Jasper and I off his back, and ran off into the woods lopsidedly. Jasper quickly set fire to the lion's dislodged leg while I tended to Bella. Her back was all scratched up, but her arm was worse. There was a deep gash above her elbow that oozed blood. But from the shape of the wound, I could tell it wasn't from a claw.

The mountain lion had severed her skin with his tooth.

Which meant that she was turning into a vampire.

BPOV

The fire in my arm was spreading. It grew and extended until my whole body was consumed by the flames, which grew hotter and hotter every second. My brain was muddled; some part of my mind knew what was happening to me, but I couldn't dig it up. All I knew was that I was burning.

Somewhere I heard a commotion going on, but the sounds were dull and muffled. I heard lots of growls, and then a snap. But it seemed as if it was going on in another world, as if I was in my own private bubble and everything outside that bubble didn't matter. As time went on, I felt two cold arms wrap around my torso, and I felt wind in my hair. But those feelings were vague; they were the brush of a feather in comparison to the fire that raged inside me. Then I heard lots of voices, but I couldn't discern any individual words. Every sound melted together into a quiet hum. There was one voice that was different from the rest; it was clearer, more beautiful. I focused on this voice. It seemed very familiar, but my muddled brain couldn't pinpoint whose voice it was.

Time passed slowly, but it passed. And when I felt as if a year had passed since the fire started, my brain finally cleared. I recognized the beautiful voice to be Edward's, and I also pinpointed Alice and Carlisle's voices.

Eventually, the fire retreated from my toes and my fingers. It slowly ebbed from the rest of my body, and settled into my chest. My heart beat once, twice, three times, and then it stopped, and the rest of the pain vanished.

The bubble around me seemed to have popped, as I could hear everything crystal clear. I opened my eyes, and found myself gazing at Edward's perfect face. "Bella," he whispered, stroking my cheek.

EPOV

I ran.

I didn't know where I was running to, or how far I was running. All I knew was that I was running. And I was mad. Incredibly, extremely mad.

I couldn't believe Aro would insist Bella's beautiful heart would stop beating by the end of the year. I couldn't believe how heartless he was to insist on the ending of her life.

I had been running for who knows how long when my phone buzzed. I plucked it out of my pocket and checked the caller ID: Alice. I flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Edward!" Alice's voice was filled with panic. "You have to come home right away!"

"Why?" I asked, already running home.

"It's Bella," she answered, and immediately I started running faster.

"What about Bella?" I growled through my teeth.

Alice hesitated. "Just come home and see," she finally said, and hung up.

It took me a whole painstaking hour to reach the house. I raced inside, and came to a stop beside the couch, where Bella was lying, unconscious. Alice appeared at my side.

"What happened?" I demanded. Alice told me about her vision, and how the mountain lion had attacked Bella, and how she and Jasper managed to tear a leg off him. She told me that he had grazed her arm with his tooth. And she told me that Bella was transforming into a vampire as we spoke. I sank to my knees at this news. The pain in my heart was unbearable.

I stayed at her side every second of those agonizing three days. She writhed in agony every now and then, but she never screamed.

And then, on the third day, I heard the worst sound in the world, or lack thereof. I heard Bella's heart stop. And while I knew that she was immortal now, I couldn't help but think to myself, _Bella is dead._ I knew that she would open her eyes soon, and she would be the same Bella that she was when she was human (mentally, of course), but with the last beating of her heart, my own dead heart sank to the floor.

My bath in self-pity was short lived, however, because then Bella opened her eyes.

**Whew, a lot of different POV's there. So, just to clear up any confusion, Bella is now a vampire, but even though she got changed by the venom from the mountain lion, she didn't turn into a mountain lion herself. All vampire venom is the same.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry it's been such a while! Honestly, I've gotten a little bored with the story. So, I decided to wrap it up. Enjoy!**

Bella POV

The second I woke up, I immediately knew something was wrong.

Of course, I felt great. I was filled with an energy that seemed like it would never ebb away. I felt _alive, _even though I knew I was dead. I felt fresh, like I had just been reborn.

But the thing that was clawing away ruthlessly at me was my throat.

I swallowed dryly, but that didn't help. All this time, Edward had been staring down at me with worry in his eyes.

"Bella, love, how do you feel?" he asked with a thick anxiousness in his voice.

"Fine," I rasped. I was surprised at the scratchiness in my voice. I cleared my throat quietly, and then tried again. "I feel fine."

"Are you sure, Bella?" Edward questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed and sat up. Edward jumped at my swiftness, and I inwardly smiled. I was finally the same speed as him, I was just as strong as him, and, most likely, I was good-looking enough to be with him now.

"Yes, Edward. Stop worrying." I rolled my eyes. "Just a little thirsty, that's all." It was hard to keep a straight face at the last part. It seemed so absurd to simply brush off this burning in my throat. I was dying for some blood.

_Blood. _I suppressed a shudder.

Just then, the door burst open, and the biggest man I had ever seen if my life barreled straight at me, shouting "Bellsie's awake!"

My mind was clouded. The man looked extremely familiar, but my instincts took over. With a flash I was on the opposite side of the room, and crouched into a defensive pose. The man seemed startled, but changed direction and zipped towards me again. "What's the matter, Bell?" he boomed, chuckling at the end.

The rest was sort of a blur. My mind turned fuzzy. My eyesight dimmed, and everything seemed so dark, except for the man, who was still racing toward me, a big goofy grin on his face. But despite the grin, my body identified him as a threat. A tingling sensation occurred in my head. All I could think was that this man was dangerous, and he was trying to hurt me.

A menacing growl ripped loose from my throat, but by this point I felt I had no control over my body. Bella had disappeared somewhere in the recesses of my clouded mind, and she was being replaced by a pissed off and threatened vampire.

Then my eyesight was gone. All I could see was a bright, blinding white light, like the flash of a camera times a thousand. And then the light disappeared, and the tingling sensation in my head ebbed away, and my clouded mind cleared. Normal Bella was back.

I opened my eyes- I hadn't realized they were closed- and realized I was face-to-face with Emmett.

_How could you be so stupid, Bella? _I mentally chastised myself. _It was just _Emmett!

I realized that I must have had a temporary memory lapse as a result of my transformation. "Sorry, Emmett," I murmured sheepishly at him, with an embarrassed smile at my behavior.

Emmett didn't respond.

"You okay, Em?" I asked, genuinely concerned now.

Still nothing.

I moved beside him. He was frozen in the same position- mid-stride, goofy grin on his face, arms outstretched for a hug.

"What have I done?" I wailed, burying my face in my hands. For the first time ever, I understood what Edward was talking about when he said he felt like a monster. I had killed Emmett- or done something of the sort.

"Calm down, love," I heard a velvet voice whisper in my ear. I looked up and met Edward's gaze. He reached up a hand to cup my cheek. "I'm sure Carlisle can find a way to fix this. Who knows-"he smiled a half-smile – "This might just be part of your power." I sighed, and let myself be comforted by Edward's words. If I froze Emmett, then I could surely unfreeze him.

I snuck another glance at Emmett. He still hadn't moved. I had to tear my eyes away from his ironically gleeful expression.

"Let's go hunt." Edward suddenly suggested. I looked up at him, to see a seemingly carefree half-smile on his lips. But, I could still see worry evident in his eyes. "You said you were thirsty," he reminded me, and at that I was once again aware of the fire in my throat.

"Alright," I agreed reluctantly. I needed to get my mind off of things. It had only been a few minutes since I woke up, and already I had inflicted danger on the Cullens.

Edward led me over to the window, and jumped out. He landed, and motioned for me to do the same. I hesitated, but finally slowly dropped through the window and landed on the ground, graciously unharmed. I took Edward's hand and allowed him to lead me into the forest. It was a fascinating spectacle- the colors seemed so vivid and detailed. My vampire brain was able to focus on where I was going, and admire the beauty of the forest at the same time. I couldn't help but let a small smile curve my lips upward. I felt Edward squeeze my hand – he was obviously glad to see me enjoying myself.

Abruptly, Edward and I came to a stop. I didn't know how far we had run, but it seemed like hundreds of miles. "Take a deep breath," Edward instructed. I obeyed. "What do you smell?" I smelt lots of things- the richness of the soil and the sickly sweetness of the wildflowers and the musk coming off the trees. I smelt the extremely unappetizing scent of small mammals: rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. But in this complex quilt of scents, I smelled one that topped all the others. I didn't know what it was, but it instinctively attracted me. I took off in the direction of the scent, and Edward followed me.

After just a couple miles, I came upon a small clearing. It was nothing like me and Edward's meadow, but it still had a certain beauty. The surrounding trees gave it a dark essence, with dark blue and purple wildflowers dotted here and there. Long, untamed grass matted the ground, with small patches of damp earth showing here and there. But the grandest spectacle of all was the animal in the middle- a rather large elk. Without a second thought, I pounced upon the animal, and sunk my teeth into its neck. For the second time today, I felt pure instinct taking over, and I drank the animal dry.

When I was finished, I stood up, and assessed myself. My jeans had mud stains on the knees, and a small bloodstain on my shirt.

I looked up and noticed Edward staring fixedly at me. The intensity of his gaze made me uncomfortable, and I shifted nervously. "What?" I finally asked.

Edward's eyes softened and he gave me a small apologetic smile. "Sorry," he murmured. "It's just such a big change- to see you fragile and clumsy one day and powerful and dangerous the next—it's just a lot to take in." He shrugged.

We stood in silence together for a moment. "I'll always be your Bella," I finally said. Edward grinned and brought me in for a hug. "I would hope so," he murmured in my ear.

We hunted together for two more hours, and then headed back to the house. Edward and I entered through the front door, and I immediately noticed the whole family in the living room, with the exception of Emmett, of course. Rosalie had her back turned to us, but she spun around when she heard us enter.

"What did you do to my husband?" she shrieked at me, her black, stormy eyes swimming with rage.


End file.
